The One
by Just Lil Ole Me
Summary: Alcide has finally given up on Debbie but he's not so sure that Sookie will give him the chance he wants. Will she be The One? Set roughly around Season 3, episode 3, AU, Rated T for language


**A/N: **Welcome to my first True Blood Fic! I've been playing around with this particular plot bunny for a while now. I hope I do this justice.

**The One**

**Chapter 1**

Music blared through the kitchen on a quiet spring afternoon. Opening up the cabinet doors that led to the under workings of the kitchen sink, Alcide picked up his wrench, crawled underneath and went to work on the clogged U bend. He sang quietly to himself as he worked. The lingering scent of Sookie and the apple pies that she had baked earlier that day wafted through the air thanks to the slight breeze blowing through the house. He worked diligently, losing himself in the job at hand and his wandering thoughts of a particular shapely blonde that had held his attention for the past several months. He paid no mind to the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway, believing that Sook was back from her trip to the store.

"Hookah!" The back screen door opened. "Where is you?" Lafayette let himself into the house as he usually did, as if he owned the place. With a large casserole dish in his hands, he stopped in his tracks. What he saw would make any gay man's mouth water. On the floor directly in front of him was a pair of muscular, jean clad legs with the rest of that heavenly body up underneath Sookie's sink. Setting the dish down on the table, his perfectly shaped brow arched as he leaned on the counter with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Lord have mercy, but I done died and gone to heaven. A hunk of man in front of me using his tool." He knew he would get a rise out of the wolf. They both had a love hate relationship when it came to that Sookie. Reaching into the cupboard, he pulled a bottle of tequila down along with a glass, pouring himself a generous portion.

"Damn, don't you know how to knock?" Alcide slid out, glaring at Lafayette, preferring to ignore his tool statement. "Sookie isn't here." He picked up a different tool from his chest.

"I seen that for myself." Lafayette replied, lifting his glass to his lips. "What I's wonderin' is why you is workin' on her pipes…" He smirked, poking at the werewolf again.

Alcide finally looked at him with a huff. "Sook called me last week wanting a reference for a reliable plumber to work on this clog." He sat up, pushing his hair back from his face. "I told her that I'd take a look at it. Lord only knows what it's clogged with and besides, she don't need any more strangers sniffing around her place than she's already had." He looked down at the wrench in his hands to hide his true intentions in his eyes.

Lafayette took a seat at the kitchen table, still enjoying the eye candy in front of him. "Now, I's no fool. I seen how you look at her, like she's a piece of lemon merengue pie on a hot summer's day." Smirking he added. "You ain't foolin' nobody. You here for another reason entirely." He waved his half-filled glass in the wolf's direction for emphasis.

Growling lowly, Alcide spared a glance at the man at the table before sliding back under the sink. "I don't know what you're talkin' about. She's with Northman." Hidden as he was, he was able to sneer when he said Northman's name. As much as that vamp had helped his dad, he still hated him but he did not like the fact that she was with _him._

Lafayette stood up. "Well, you go on lyin' to yourself all you want. I knows the truth. You wants to show her your…pipe." Chuckling, he sat his glass in the sink. "Tell Sook that my gumbo is in the fridge when gets in." He picks up his pie from the counter. "I knows you'll be here when she comes back."

"You don't know shit, Lafayette." He growled again from under the sink. Was that guy ever going to leave? He hated people who talked nonstop and damn, if that man couldn't talk more than that crazy Fortenberry woman that he had to endure over at Merlott's the other day. Nosy people always getting into other people's business when it don't concern them.

"Mmhmm….bye Mr. Tall, Dark and Damn Handsome." With a roaming eye, Lafayette made his exit as glorious as his entrance as the door closed behind him.

Alcide sighed after he left. His hands continued refitting the now unclogged pipe to the sink but his mind wandered over Lafayette's words, finding that the truth stung just a bit. He knew that he was falling for Sookie but there was little he could do to persuade her to leave Northman. Lord knows he'd tried but she just wasn't takin his bait.

Another car pulled up outside as he was cleaning up his mess in the kitchen. He couldn't stop the smile that covered his face when her scent announced her arrival. She smelled like sunshine and daisies to him, all bright and cheery. "Sink's all done, Sook." He stood up as she walked in with two bags in her hands. He reached over to grab one, helping her place it on the counter. "Don't go stuffing anything bigger than your thumb down that pipe again." He chuckled.

Sookie smiled up at him as she pulled the makings of dinner from her bag. "Thank you but honestly, I never expected you to come over to fix that sink yourself, you know? I could have handled having a plumber in the house while I was here."

Alcide's smile faded. "You don't need any more strangers around here. You've been in too many dangerous spots as it is." His voice turned gruff towards the end as he tried to hide the true meaning of his words. "Oh…and Lafayette left your gumbo in the fridge."

"You and I both know that if I find myself in trouble, either Bill or Eric will come to runnin'." She turned to the fridge, removing the casserole dish. "You wanna stay for dinner?" Sookie gestured to the gumbo. "This is some of the best gumbo in Renard Parish and Lala always brings over more than I can ever eat."

Turning on the faucet to check for any leaks, he leaned down to look under the sink. "Well, I'd be a fool to say no to that." Righting himself, he looked down at Sookie, smiling. "Let me put my tools in the truck and I'll give you a hand with dinner."

Sookie pulls the fresh corn from the fridge. "No hurry, everything is mostly done. I'm just going to boil this corn to go with everything." She watched him as he walked out the door to his truck. She didn't have to read his mind to guess at what he was thinking but Alcide should know by now that she truly belonged to Eric. Moving efficiently around the kitchen to cook the corn and warm the gumbo, she hummed along to the music playing.

The screen door opens a final time as Alcide walked back in. He had taken a moment to change into a clean shirt that he always had in the truck. He didn't want to be covered in dust and grime while at the table. "Smells good, Sook." He stopped beside her, looking at the gumbo. "What can I do to help?"

Sookie nodded to the dishes. "If you'll set the table, the corn should be done in just a few." She gave the gumbo a stir before taking a mixed salad from the fridge. "All we need now is the salad dressing, butter and something to drink."

Placing the dishes and silverware down, he moved around the kitchen with a fascinating grace. "Why did you bake 2 pies anyways?" His stomach rumbled at the thought of having a generous slice after dinner. He reached into the fridge to take out the pitcher of tea, filling their glasses.

"Oh well, since Gran is gone, I end up cooking and eating by myself most days." She shrugged. "It's the same with Lafayette. We always seemed to end up cooking too much for one so rather than wasting anything, we just share with each other." She removed the corn from the boiling water. "I put in a request for his Aunt Muriel's gumbo last week." Sookie grinned as she put the plate of corn and bowl of gumbo on the table. "Have a seat and dig in."

Taking a seat, he waited for her to join him. She relaxed as she began serving up the food, marveling at the amount of food that he had on his plate. The conversation flowed easily as they ate together. There never seemed to be an awkward moment between them when they were together.

Finally over coffee and a slice of apple pie a la mode, Sookie just had to ask the question burning in her mind. "So how's Debbie?" She glanced up at him as she cut the first bite of her pie with her fork.

Alcide stopped chewing. His shoulders slumped as he put his fork down. "We're done. She's not going to change and I'm done trying to help her get her shit together. She doesn't want my help." He growled out that last sentence but didn't go any further with his explanation. Sookie didn't need to know that Debbie had been screwing around on him again. She didn't need to go flying off the handle like she usually does.

"Oh….I'm sorry….I didn't know." She picked up her coffee mug, sipping. "Are you ok?"

He nodded. "I will be. To be honest Sook, I knew this was coming. I've been with her since we were teenagers and she's never changed her ways." Shaking his head, Alcide took a bite of his pie. "It's time for me to move on. Maybe look for the One that my ole man always talks about." He chuckled.

"The One? What does that mean?" Sookie leaned forward on the table, interested in this new topic.

With a smirk, he smiled thinking of his dad. "My dad says that for every strong wolf, there's the perfect mate or The One as he calls it. He claimed that he had that with my mom, a special bond that went beyond the need to mate."

"So, I take it Debbie wasn't the One?" She raised a brow at him over the top of her coffee mug.

"Nah, but I never put much faith in dad's story. I just chalked it up as a shifter legend and there's plenty of those out there." He shrugged. "Maybe I was hoping she would be but I never knew for sure."

"Well, how do you know…for sure?" Sookie sat her mug down, finishing her last bite of pie.

"You know, I asked Dad that very question several times over the years and the only answer I ever got from him was a vague "You'll know." Alcide shook his head. "Not rightly sure what that means but no, Debbie was not the One."

"You'll find her someday, Alcide." She reached across the table to lay her hand on his arm. "I just know you will. You're too kind and wonderful not to." Sookie smiled at him. Then, her phone rang. "Dammit." She picked up to hear the voice of a stressed out Arlene. After a short conversation, she ended the call. "I gotta go into work. That new waitress bailed on Arlene after having to deal with a cranky Mrs. Fortenberry just once. I'm needed to help close." She chuckled.

"You go on. I can clean up the dishes. It's the least I can do for this wonderful dinner." He stood up with her, gathering up the dirty plates.

Sookie watched him with her jaw open, not expecting him to make such an offer. "Normally, I wouldn't even consider letting you do such a thing, but it will be late when I get home. I'll be too tired to consider the dishes." She stepped up beside him, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for staying to eat with me. This was fun. Just lock up when you're done." With that, she was out the door to save Arlene from the Dragon of Bon Temps.

He leaned against the counter, watching the tail lights as they dimmed into the darkening skies. Alcide crossed his arms over his chest, giving himself a moment to think in the now quiet house. _Maybe you're the One, Sookie Stackhouse because I'd like it very much if you were._ With a laugh at himself, he made quick work of the dishes, put away the leftovers, and tidied up the table before letting himself out the back door. He made sure the house was locked up tight. _I'd like that very much indeed._


End file.
